Ode to Siblings
by Amethyst Grey
Summary: CornyLuis "Happy New Year, baby brother," Luis said. "I wish you could drink with us tonight."


**Disclaimer:** With the coming of the new year, (Happy New Year!) comes good tidings, red envelopes,... but still no ownership over Ironside. That clearly belongs to Holly Black.

_For Dana. _

* * *

He kissed delicately across the knuckles of the hand he held.

They were early. Roiben and Kaye were being held back in the Night Court. Val, Ravus, and Ruth were on their way with their canoe. It was the eve of New Years day and as promised, they would visit the abandon island where Dave's ashes lay.

Luis lay side by side with his one year boyfriend on the picnic blanket they placed onto the damp grass, the winter breeze brushed past in a chillingly caressing way. The wind whistled eerily between barren branches that sounded achingly like Dave's laughter.

"What do you believe happens after death?" he asked gently.

Corny pondered, beautiful brown streaked black hair obscured his eyes. Luis had heard Kaye's mother harassing Corny to dye it again, but Luis liked it in its careless array.

"I consider it like a long sleep, where you don't dream. Nothingness, if you will," Corny answered, then waited for him to reciprocate with a theory.

Luis looked at Corny with both his eyes, one dark blue and one milky blue, "Sometimes, I believe with my Sight I can not only see past glamour but the dead as well. I would see the ghost of my brother hover just out of my vision and if I just reach out, I would touch him."

"Do you think he's a guardian angel or something?"

"Or something," Luis agreed readily, not quite believing that his little brother would willingly sit by to watch over his older sibling.

Luis noticed that when Corny's hazel eyes glazed over to look at something only his eyes can see like it did now, he would be thinking about Janet, "Why do you ask?"

"Just now I thought I heard Dave's childish laugh and his feet scrambling about, exploring. You know, he thought he would be the first one to rediscover Atlantis."

Corny gave a half-snort half-laugh, "Janet was the type of girl who never had much of an ambition. She always chose to live in the moment. Maybe that was the cause of her death."

"How did she die?" Their relationship was based on finding the _right _moment to tell each other something. Luis felt this was the time to finally be let in on the younger Stone sibling's death.

When Corny hesitated, Luis gave the hand he held a comforting squeeze, "Janet drowned."

Luis nodded, figuring it was something like this when Corny's eyes often glazed at the mention of salt water.

"I was never definite on the occurrence of the event, but I am certain that it was a kelpie that lured my sister into the ocean. I have nightmares of her being pulled in, of water rushing into her gaping mouth and filling her lungs as she screamed soundlessly." He seemed to take comfort in the firm grip of Luis's hand.

"What would she have thought about me, do you think?" Luis asked teasingly after a moment of respectable silence.

"She would have been surprised, I imagine." Corny actually squinted at the sky, "I was always her dorky, jerk-off brother. I think she would have liked you though. You have very smooth and charming charisma. Besides, she had a thing for blue eyes."

Corny grinned, meeting Luis's eyes, "And what would have Dave thought of wretched me as his overbearing brother's boyfriend?"

The male with braids looked sheepish, "Dave didn't actually know I was gay."

"Ah, so you came out of the closet just for me."

Luis flushed a deep red up to the roots of his hair, "Shut up."

Hazel eyes twinkled with amusement, Corny propped himself on one arm to look at Luis more directly, "No really, I want to know. What would Dave think of me as your boyfriend?"

"Relief and understanding would probably be overwhelming his disgust for me," Luis mused.

"A strange combination, do explain."

"Relief because he wouldn't have anymore competition with me for the same sex seeing as I'm a poof. We never actually talked about our sexuality, always assuming that we were heterosexual." Corny inserted a smug grin. "And understanding, of course would be realizing why I didn't take any interest in Loli. He was crazy about her, as you know."

"You never answered how he would react to _me_; though the insight to your loving brother relationship was welcomed." Corny twirled one of Luis's braids between his index finger and thumb, closing in lazily so he was nose to nose with him.

Luis didn't realize he was holding his breath until he was strangling for air to say his next words, "He would have warmed up to you."

"Would he now," a wicked grin spread across his features.

Luis was amazed he even had a coherent thought with those lips so _close_, "My brother's a hardheaded shrew, not a whimsical, romantic sister."

"Janet would have kicked Dave's ass to the next dimension," and fervently crushed their lips together.

* * *

"Ha, I fucking told you that Luis was a wuss and a pushover."

"No! Luis my man! You are supposed to take care of my brother. You're the overbearing seme of this relationship! _Pin him!_"

"Did you _see _the evil glint in Corny's eyes? That bastard is so much more experienced my faggot brother."

"That's 'cuz of the porn Corny reads. I would know."

"What, do you read the shonen-ai shit?"

"Never mind."

"They're so in _love_."

"You _are _demented romantic."

"As Corny said, this romantic can still kick your ass."

"Ha."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, I'm saying your skinny legs can't even squish a bug much less boot me."

"Oh now you're just asking for it."

"Hey, what are you—don't touch me! Get off! Hey!"

"Can't even squish a bug, huh! I'll give you the boot…What about now? And now? And _now?_"

"Hey look! He's reaching under the shirt!"


End file.
